Financial problems can put pressure on your relationship. Taking practical action can help ease the strain.

Redundancy, debt and money worries can all put pressure on your relationship with your partner. Denise Knowles, a relationship counsellor at Relate, offers advice on how to ease the strain.

If you're made redundant, loss of income is the most obvious difficulty, but being without a job can also affect your self-esteem and self-confidence.

For some couples, existing problems are made worse because of the additional pressure they're feeling. For others, coping with a new situation can lead to tension.

Denise says financial difficulties can make people blame each other for their situation. She says, for example: "A wife may tell her husband he has no right to go out drinking with his mates if it means their child has to go without a new pair of shoes."

For some couples, having less money means that they can no longer deal with problems the way they used to.

"It may be that in the past they bought their way out of a problem with a holiday or a present. If that money's not available, they have to develop new ways of coping," says Denise.

Any stressful situation can also have an impact on your sex life: "A lot of people avoid intimacy when they feel under pressure."

How to ease the strain money puts on your relationship

There are many things you can do to improve your relationship, and lots of places you can go to for help and support.

Getting financial advice can ease your worries

Deal with the practical side first. Talk to your mortgage lender and bank if you're concerned about meeting payments or going over your overdraft limit.

Get advice on paying off your debts, find out what benefits you may be entitled to, and work out a plan to search for jobs.

"People who've never been in this situation before may feel embarrassed," says Denise.

"Don't be. The people who work as advisers are there to help. If you don't want to talk about your problems in person, use telephone helplines and look at the information that's available on the internet."

There are many organisations that can help. The Citizens Advice website has information on benefits, how to deal with debt, what you're entitled to if you're made redundant, and who to turn to if you lose your home.